Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I'm going to keep going on in the Christian faith. I'm going to fight the GOOD fight.

I want to talk to you today about the different fights we can fight in this life.There is the GOOD fight and there is the BAD fight.What's the good fight and what's the bad fight?

Let's first illustrate the bad fight:Let's say someone wrongs you in some way, for example, someone rapes youWhat will you do in response?Will you go back after the person with hatred, vengeance, anger, and rage and stab the person back, try and murder the person, or do harm?This right here is the BAD fight.What did Jesus say to do?Luke 6:27 -28"But to you who are listening I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."This is the GOOD fight.

Instead of taking revenge on people and acting out in malice, rage, scorn, hatred, you love them and show your love for them by praying for them. This is what Jesus said to do. Instead of hoping that they die and they suffer for what they've done to you, you pray for them in love deeply from your heart and hope that they turn their lives around, that they repent, that they turn back to God, so that they may be saved. That's the GOOD fight. Instead of hatred and violence and revenge, you turn to love.

The Good fight isdoing God's will:staying sexually moralkeeping away from drugs and alcoholrespecting your parents no matter whatsubmitting to the authorities: paying your taxes, driving within the law,etc.loving unconditionally no matter what

I encourage all of you today to fight the Good Fight.

1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Keep fighting the good fight and NOT the bad fight. It's easy to fight the bad fight. It's easy to exchange hate for hate. It's easy to love those who love you, but not those who hate you.

But Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"NoneThe Good fight is to love those who hate you, who wrong you, who steal from you, and bash you and say bad things about you. That's the good fight. The Bad fight is just to retaliate and hate them back.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

My thoughts about this life is this life is hell. Health problems, murder, crime, low wages, traffic, disease, sickness, wicked people. Family members who refuse to come into Christ, who do drugs, who refuse to work and are just idle, who are sexually immoral. And I'm not being pessimistic or dark. I'm just looking at the reality of life. All these problems and hardships just make me think of one thing: being focused on heaven and getting ready for next life, my eternal abode. It gives me motivation to finish this race that God has marked out for me. When I think about this life, I realize that it's not worth living. 9/11 was a huge tragedy that killed thousands of people, Columbine shooting, Virginia Tech Massacre, and all other homicides that claimed and claim millions of lives. When I think about this, I become sad that this is what the world is like. The bible was right when it said Christ came to rescue us "from the present evil age" (Galatians 1:4, NIV). This world is presently in an evil age (guns, weapons, drugs, graffiti, gangs, violence.) Christ died for our sins so he could rescue from this world so that "we will not be condemned with the world" (1 Corinthians 11:32, NIV)--if you're a Christian.

Once again, I'm sorry if this has a very negative tone but we have to stop always looking at the good and look at the bad. God says this in the verse, "turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom" (James 4:9, NIV). Why did He say this? Because we just can't live life being happy and giddy. There's lots of evil things. There's young girls being sold into sex trafficking. There's innocent people being murdered. We can't just focus on ourselves and personal happiness. Now in this fallen world is the time to mourn. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4, NIV). We have to mourn the state of this world and look to the better world, heaven in the life to come.

If you're willing to look at the reality, you'll come to the same conclusion as the bible. This is a fallen world "in a present evil age." Sin has marred through and has reared its ugly head in the form of murder, rape, violence, terrorism, hatred, racism, sexism, and all other such things.But you can still make the decision to go to a place where there is no such things. In fact, in heaven, "nothing impure will ever enter it" (Revelation 21:27, NIV). Heaven is sinless and crystal clean. If you decide to make the choice, all you have to do is believe in God (Hebrews 11:6) and that Jesus is God's Son (John 8:24), repent of your sins (Acts 2:38), confess that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 8:37), and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). And you shall be saved.